In the past, we have invested in series that have told stories about dinosaurs, human evolution, ancient civilizations, space travel, and the conflicts of modern society. Internally, we refer to these big subjects as “mission programming”: programs and series designed to convey the details and intimacies of a significant topic. As you might imagine, these are very expensive endeavors; in television, “depth” is tough. That’s why most television is shallow. Our viewers tell us that they are grateful for the difference, but frankly, even if they weren’t I’d still do mission programming. Sometimes
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